O’DONOVAN STORMS INTO O'CONNELL/DULLEA FINAL, AS CHAMPIONSHIP FIXTURES CONTINUE

James O’Donovan produced a dominant display to book his place in the O’Connell/Dullea Cup final after a commanding semi-final win in Ballygurteen.

Aidan Murphy, Conor Lucey, and Brendan O’Neill all secured important victories across busy fixtures in Lyre, Kilcorney, and Templemartin.

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O'DONOVAN STARTS FAST TO BOOK HIS SPOT IN O'CONNELL/DULLEA CUP FINAL

Ballygurteen held an O’Connell/Dullea cup semi-final between James O’Donovan and Páidín Stokes, playing for a stake of €2,400 a-side. O’Donovan led from start to finish and done some incredible bowling, Stokes stepping up in grade this season had no answer to O’Donovan’s phenomenal bowling. O’Donovan was out the first bend in two shots after a poor opening shot where he had almost a bowl of odds. He raised the bowl with his third past Dullea’s new house and followed up with another huge bowl just back of the women’s lane, where Stokes done well to keep it to only a bowl of odds at this juncture. O’Donovan raised the second bowl when he made O’Mahony’s rectory in another huge shot. And another incredible bowl just back of the coffee dock sealed the deal for him.

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AIDAN MURPHY TAKES THE HONOURS AT LYRE

Lyre had a busy day on Sunday with a Junior A tournament score and a Mother Hegarty Cup score. In the latter Aidan Murphy beat Tommy O’Sullivan by two bowls of odds, playing for a stake of €6,300 a-side. Murphy took the first shot, but O’Sullivan lined three massive bowls over the tunnel where his lead was only sixty meters. From here O’Sullivan’s play got wayward and after a huge sixth shot from Murphy he was back in front. It looked like they would go level to Crowley’s bend but O’Sullivan was very left of play with his seventh shot and missed full sight, Murphy took full advantage of this and went full sight, and made the crossover an easy shot where he raised the bowl of odds. Both made McCarthy’s bend with their next where it was just under the bowl of odds. Murphy made the start of the railings with his tenth shot and O’Sullivan beat this by thirty meters. Murphy lined a huge eleventh and O’Sullivan missed this well and missed the line again to give Murphy victory. In a return score Martin O’Donovan beat P.J. O’Driscoll for €1,250 a-side.

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NO JOY FOR HEGARTY AT LYRE

In the afternoon a Junior A tournament score was played between clubman David Hegarty playing Sean Paul McDonagh a younger brother of senior player Arthur, they played for €2,000 a-side. No lead for Hegarty in this one, two shots each to the forest entrance where McDonagh had a few meters of an advantage. A poor third in right for Hegarty and McDonagh put big odds on this. McDonagh was “called” twice on his fourth shot but got a good bowl eventually over the tunnel. There was nothing between them after two more to Crowley’s stone wall. But from here Hegarty missed Crowley’s bend in two more and McDonagh went full sight and crossed over to raise a bowl and big odds, it was almost two bowls at McCarthy’s bend. After two more shots past the railings McDonagh had big odds with the bowl and hands were shook.

Earlier in the week at Lyre a novice D tournament semi-final was played between Paul Twomey and Paudie Lucey, playing for €350 a-side. Twomey went out the Mason’s bend in three good bowls where he had almost a bowl of odds. There was nothing between them at the double gates, Lucey knocked big odds. Lucey got a massive bowl to the school that gave him his first lead that he would relinquish no more, he followed up with another super bowl half way to the creamery and his next made past Harte’s house to the hump where he had big odds with the bowl, he held this to Ballinascarthy cross to book his place in the final against Sean O’Neill.

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LUCEY IN NORTH CORK JUNIOR B FINAL

Conor Lucey will join Shane Collins in the North Cork Junior B final after his last shot victory over Dean Sexton at Kilcorney, playing for a stake of €1,100 a-side. Sexton held the early advantage in this semi-final leading by fifty meters after three shots. Sexton made down to the bridge and had almost a bowl of odds as Lucey was too tight left. Lucey knocked big odds with his next past the yard, and Sexton got two poor bowls in succession and the odds was down to twenty meters. Lucey took the lead with a big next. At the novice E line Lucey held a fifteen meter advantage. Two good bowls each past the novice C line with Lucey still twenty meters fore bowl. Sexton missed full light at the cross in three more and Lucey had full sight, which determined the win for him and booked his place in the final. In a return score Gearoid Lucey beat David Crowley by a bowl of odds for €900 a-side.

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BRENDAN O'NEILL TO MEET SHEAN MURPHY IN POOL B FINAL

Brendan O’Neill booked his place in the pool b Junior A final when he beat Edmund Sexton by 1bl for a stake of €850 a-side. Sexton opened with a massive bowl over the hill and down peeping sight that O’Neill beat by ten meters in two. Sexton made the flyover in two more where he raised the bowl of odds. O’Neill had it under the bowl by ten meters after three more to the Whitethorn bush. O’Neill kept clawing his way back into this score with two good bowls past poundy’s lane. O’Neill followed and beat a huge bowl from Sexton to Denny Paul’s. Sexton’s next broke badly right and his odds was now down to sixty meters. O’Neill got a phenomenal bowl down to Mickey Tom’s cross, which gave him his first lead in the score as Sexton missed it by a big margin and only beat the tip again by twenty meters. O’Neill was over the line in two more where he awaits the winner of Andrew O’Callaghan and Sean Murphy.

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On Sunday the other pool b Junior A semi-final was played at Baile Bhuirne between Andrew O’Callaghan and Sean Murphy for a stake of €1,500 a-side. After two shots to Roche’s house O’Callaghan led by ten meters. Murphy took the third to the concrete wall but O’Callaghan was back in front with his fourth to the top of the hill. At the school bags in five each Murphy was fore bowl again by ten meters, he extended this to fifty meters after three more shots to the island. After two more onto the straight O’Callaghan had the odds back to half, and after the next exchange only the width of the council yard gates separated them with Murphy still fore bowl. Both got super bowls past the novice line, but O’Callaghan’s thirteenth broke badly right and cost him ground. Murphy got a huge thirteenth to Moynahans’s house that O’Callaghan only beat by thirty meters. At the piggery’s Murphy raised the bowl of odds, O’Callaghan’s sixteenth broke badly right again and Murphy beat the line and will now play Brendan O’Neill in the pool-b final @ Templemartin.

In Carrignavar a junior veteran championship score was played between Anthony Gould and Mickey Hurley, going off for a stake of €850 a-side. Hurley had nice odds after seven each and was throwing his odds off the creamery line. After two more shots Hurley raised the bowl and fifty meters with it. But Gould wasn’t done just yet and lined a couple of perfect bowls that reduced Hurley’s odds to sixty meters. Heading on up the hill Gould took his first lead with the line approaching, Hurley lined a good last and Gould missed the tip.

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DENIS O'CRISCOLL IN POOL C VETERAN DECIDER

At Caheragh in a Junior Veteran pool-c SF Denis O’Driscoll beat Kieran O’Driscoll by one bowl, playing for no stake. They started at Lisangle cross, Kieran raised a bowl of odds at the bridge, he held this odds to Reenrua cross and on the Sheilly’s Farm, but from here his form dipped dramatically and at the start of the straight Denis had it back to half a bowl of odds. Kieran played his next three bowls too far right and Denis took full advantage and raised a bowl and held it to the line.

​CROWLEY KNOTCHES UP ANOTHER POINT IN PREMIER JUNIOR A

A premier Junior A playoff score was played at Templemartin between Michael O’Donoghue v Cillian Kelleher v Shane Crowley, no stake is this one. O’Donoghue started the better in this score and led in five shots out to Slynes corner where Kelleher and Crowley had only poor sight. The both made the new house and O’Donoghue buried his bowl in right. O’Donoghue was to lead no more. Kelleher done the better bowling to Riordan cottage but only held a marginal lead over Crowley, O’Donoghue was fading as this stage to go almost a bowl down. Nothing separated Kelleher and Crowley up to the school cross and O’Donoghue was almost two bowls down at this juncture. It took both Kelleher and Crowley two shots around the stonefield bend. From here Crowley played the better bowls past Buttimer’s and on down for the Monument where O’Donoghue trailing now by almost three bowls fell out. At the pub cross Crowley had forty meters on Kelleher and lined two smashing shots up towards the line to win by almost a bowl of odds.